It is generally well known breast milk provides the best nourishment for a growing baby. It is a natural and beneficial source of nutrition providing the healthiest start for an infant. It also promotes a unique and emotional connection between mother and baby. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for a minimum of six (6) months of a baby's life and breastfeeding in combination with the introduction of complementary foods until at least twelve (12) months of age, and continuation of breastfeeding for as long as mutually desired by mother and baby. (AAP (2012) Pediatrics. 129(3):e827).
It is also well known that breastfeeding comes with many challenges, particularly for working women. It is for this reason The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed by Congress in March 2010 mandates that employers provide “reasonable break time” for nursing mothers and private non-bathroom areas to express breast milk during their workday.
One tool often used to assist with the expression of breast milk, is a mechanical device commonly known as a breast pump. A breast pump is designed to suction the milk from the breasts via a flange attachment connected to a collection container or bottle. A breast pump therefore provides a convenient means through which a woman may extract and store breast milk for later use.
While convenient, the use of a breast pump is still a time-consuming process which can be made more efficient with the advent of wearable products designed to support hands-free pumping. Moreover, many of these products, as well as the apparatus of the present invention, were designed to support nursing while also supporting hands-free pumping at the same time. It is generally well known within breastfeeding circles that nursing and pumping simultaneously will maximize milk production. This is because nursing can enhance the milk let-down reflex, and consequently, and advantageously, increase milk output in the opposite (pumped) breast.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,227,936; 8,137,153; 8,323,070; 8,307,463; US 20010092134; and US 20120021669, for example, disclose breast pump/nursing support solutions designed to be worn for hands-free pumping and/or nursing. However, none of these references disclose the embodiments of the present invention.
Therefore, a need exists in the field of hands-free breast pumping and/or nursing, for an apparatus supporting the same, which is designed with adjustable outermost crossover cover panels for accommodating fluctuations in breast size. Additionally, the crossover cover panel design feature is a functional reminder; depending upon which side (right or left) the crossover cover panel is situated outermost or innermost, to alternate breasts when pumping and/or nursing.